ESPN lists Penn State as loser of NBA Draft withdrawal deadline with loss of Yanic Konan Niederhauser

Several big-name college players went back to their programs yesterday at the withdrawal deadline for the 2025 NBA Draft. Not all of them opted to return, though, namely one in University Park.

ESPN recapped the withdrawal deadline in a piece posted on Thursday. That article listed Penn State as the loser of the deadline, the only specific team to be one, with Yanic Konan Niederhauser deciding to keep his name in the draft rather than returning to the Nittany Lions.

“While things had been trending in this direction for Yanic Konan Niederhauser since the combine, it still hurts coach Mike Rhoades and the Nittany Lions to see him keep his name in the draft,” ESPN’s Jeff Borzello wrote. “The Nittany Lions were able to keep him out of the transfer portal earlier this spring and made a competitive offer to keep him, but the Switzerland native’s stock will never be higher than it is now as a borderline first-round pick.”

Konan Niederhauser, a native of Switzerland, spent one season at Penn State after transferring in last offseason from Northern Illinois. He has averaged 8.1 points (57% FG), 4.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks over that time in his college career, including career-best stats across the board of 12.9 points (61.1% FG), 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game as a junior for the Nittany Lions. That made him Penn State’s leader in rebounds and blocks while leading the Big Ten in blocks as well as an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.

With that, Konan Niederhauser declared himself for the NBA Draft and only helped himself with his testing and performances at the G-League Elite Camp and the NBA Draft Combine. There, he measured at seven feet and 240-plus pounds, plus a 7’3″ wingspan and a 9’3″ standing reach with quality numbers from his leap, speed, and agility, projecting as a productive prospect around the rim at both ends who can develop at the next level.

He could have chosen to spend another season at Penn State, but as of last night, Konan Niederhauser was a projected second-round pick by On3’s James Fletcher. He’s a possible first-round pick come time for the 2025 NBA Draft next month, and decided to keep his name in past the withdrawal deadline at 11:59 EST. That leaves the Nittany Lions without an experienced center with a pair of projected bigs being incoming freshmen, as they also haven’t added one in the portal.

A team’s season can quickly change depending on stay-or-go decisions regarding the draft. That’s the case for Penn State now as Konan Niederhauser, who was expected to eventually be back upon his entry, is now gone after playing his way into being a projected selection, but a much higher one than he was anticipated to be.